The forest machine manufacturer Profi have their roots in the Finnish company Nokka. In the 80’s and 90’s, Nokka produced small harvesters that through the models Profi 500 and Profi 50 were developed into today’s Profi 54 that was launched in 2015. In 2018, the production of the Profi machines was moved to Sweden.
The first Swedish made Profi 54
An odd fact to be mentioned is that Nokka also produced a small, tracked forwarder named Nokka Joker by the end of the 80’s. That was a machine with three pairs of tracks, very much like the machine that later would turn up as Timbear Lightlog.
Back to present time. After a bankruptcy in Finland, some Swedish contractors and Profi-users bought the rights to the concept and moved the production to Umeå in north Sweden. The new name of the company is Profi Production AB.
The often mentioned sister site Skogsforum.se, where this article has its origin, used to organize a forestry fair named “Gallringsdagarna”, (the thinning days). At the last (?) venue in 2018 the very first Swedish made Profi 54 was displayed for the first time. Not only that, but it was also sold during the thinning days, to a contractor in south Sweden. Stefan Sjögren is his name, and now this Profi 54 has been running for three years. Torbjörn Johnsen at Skogsforum.se paid him a visit.
Small but sturdy harvester
The size of Profi 54 is interesting. It´s a harvester that operates from the strip roads in thinning. The Kesla 16 H crane reaches 11,2 meters. Despite the long reach and the fact that you can work with the harvester head at full crane length, the Profi 54 is lighter than most harvesters in this size. The weight varies between 14 and 16 tons depending on equipment. This Profi 54 weighs 16 tons with a rotating cabin and fluid in the rear tires.
The larger Kesla 25RH harvester head brings no problems to the Profi 54. The machine is steady also during work at full crane length. The Profi harvester has a low center of gravity, and with locked waist and bogie, it stands as steady as a rock.
Also some clear cutting is done
Stefan also does some clear cutting with his Profi 54. Mainly on peat land which is common in the area where he is active. With the 800-wheels and flotation tracks he manages to get around on most types of peat land. That is one of the reasons he chose a larger harvester head than what is common on harvesters in this size.
At the beginning he found the head big and clumsy, but he got used to it and is very satisfied with it today. Another reason for the satisfaction is that the sturdy head rarely breaks down. In clear felling up to an average stem of 0,3 m3 the Kesla 25RH functions very well. Thicker forest should be handled by other machines.
Profi 54 in second thinning
During the visit Stefan was operating in a 40-year-old pine stand. This type of thinning is rather easy to do. The strip roads are already there and not many trees has to be cut. This is the last thinning before clear cut and there is plenty of space for the three meters wide harvester to maneuver.
Mainly pulp wood is made in this stand. If the stems are straight enough, one or two sawlogs are made as well. The best trees are left for the clear cut. A Gremo 1050 forwarder will bring the wood to the roadside when the harvesting is finished.
Film and more pics
Here is a film from the visit:
and here a couple of more photos.
Film and photos: Torbjörn Johnsen
This is a summary of an article at Skogsforum.se signed Torbjörn Johnsen
